The present invention relates generally to the field of tables and in particular to tables having a tiltable tabletop.
Traditional tables include a tabletop that is fixed to a support frame. When a traditional table is oriented in an upright position, the tabletop provides an area for performing various tasks, as is known in the art. In order to store a traditional table in the upright position, a floor space is needed that is approximately equal to the surface area of the tabletop. To store a traditional table in a smaller floor space, some tables can be lifted and rotated to a lateral position in which a side edge of the tabletop is placed on the floor. In this lateral position, storage of the table may require less floor space as compared to the upright position; however, it can be difficult for some users to lift and rotate a traditional table. Furthermore, the support frame of a traditional table may undesirably protrude from the tabletop in an inconvenient manner. To address this problem, the support frame of some traditional tables may be disassembled from the tabletop. Even though storing a disassembled traditional table may require less floor space than storing a traditional table oriented in the upright or lateral positions, the disassembly process is often overly time consuming and cumbersome. Additionally, before the table can be used again, it must be reassembled. Therefore, while traditional tables work well for most users, some users may prefer a table that can be stored in a relatively compact configuration, but that can also be easily and quickly returned to a usable configuration.
To meet this need, a table referred to as a “tiltable table” has been developed. Tiltable tables include a tabletop that is pivotally coupled to a ground engaging support frame. In particular, the tabletop is often pivotable between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position. In the horizontal position, tiltable tables function like traditional tables. In the vertical position, however, tiltable tables can be more easily stored than traditional tables. Specifically, when the tabletop of a tiltable table is pivoted to the vertical position, the tiltable table utilizes a floor space approximately equal to the floor space utilized by the support frame, which is generally much less than the floor space required to store a traditional table oriented in the upright position. When use of the tiltable table is again desired, the tabletop can be pivoted to the horizontal position. Accordingly, tiltable tables provide users with a table that utilizes less floor space in storage than a traditional table, and is easily reconfigured to function as a traditional table.
Known tiltable tables suffer from several deficiencies, the most blatant of which being a lack of stability. Specifically, known tiltable table mechanisms often inadequately secure the tabletop in the horizontal position. Additionally, the tilting mechanism of known tiltable tables may be complicated to operate. For instance, in order to tilt a tabletop between the horizontal and vertical positions a user may have to move multiple levers and releases in a complicated sequence before the tabletop may be tilted. Therefore, further developments in the area of tiltable tables are desirable.